Our stars shine brightly on GCSE results day 2016

Still on a high from sharing A-Level success with our girls last week, it was an absolute pleasure to do the same with Year 11 girls collecting their GCSE results today – what a great day it’s been.

Our girls have stepped up to the mark again and done us proud with 44% of passes at A*, 73% at A* to A and 92% at A* to B – I am SO proud of these girls right now, especially as their efforts defy the trend reported in the news today of a decline in GCSE grades. We are right up there as one of the top schools in the region with our GCSE results and this makes me very happy, and the girls should be very pleased with themselves too. Eleven of them obtained 9 or more A* grades out of which four girls got A*s in ALL of the subjects they took. It was great to share these special moments with those who received that news today – Connie Brown, Lucy Mackie and Fiona Selwyn – I know your parents are as proud of you as I am.

What is really exciting too is the broad range of subjects that saw A* grades awarded, not just the traditionally under-represented STEM subjects like Maths and the Sciences, but Languages and the Humanities too. A huge pat on the back for Geography particularly, with 100% of grades at either A* or A, that’s brilliant. All of this goes to show how good we are at what we do, and how adaptable and multi-talented our girls are; they really can turn their hand successfully to anything they choose, and I don’t just mean academically. All of these girls have embraced the whole of school life and have thrown themselves into all sorts of other activities from sports to music and emerged as great all-rounders, which is the best way to face whatever lies ahead.

These results round off our 140th anniversary year in style and I can’t wait to welcome the girls and their parents to our Celebration and Awards Evening in September at which all of us can share in the pride of their achievements. I know with these results our girls have the best possible opportunities to continue their academic success in the Sixth Form, where they can also expand their horizons through a multitude of enrichment activities which further equip them with additional life skills such as leadership, confidence and resilience.

Today has shown un-categorically that our teaching and learning provision, geared specifically to how girls learn, is what helps make us so successful. I’m so proud of everybody here – it’s been a real team effort.